::ALBUM REVIEW::

Personality and good looks can go a long way. And in the music biz, also having a good voice will help create a winning combination. Tony Terry has proven just that - with his background of early 90s classics such as "With You", "Lovey Dovey", "Head Over Heels" and "Everlasting Love". He is also a common player on Adult Contemporary/Quiet Storm music formats over the years. And while he has strayed away a bit from the recording scene for quite sometime and has also been labeled by several sources as being a one-hit wonder (mostly known for "With You" in 1991), he has peaked his interest in gospel music on projects from Denver A. Wright and making appearances on gospel plays like David Talbert's "His Woman, His Wife". So Terry has decided to record his very first gospel debut, "Changed!"; while linking up with former recording partner Denver A. Wright for primary album production.

The album, released by independent companies Studio25Recordings and Jordan Entertainment Group (ran by former Verity Senior Jazzy Jordan) and distributed by Koch Records, contains seventeen selections and no album-fillers (reprises, interludes). This is just too much to digest for the most part, especially when painting a first impression of worthiness, so the odds are definitely against him from our early observations. Within the big mix, there are a few good hits available. Certain to develop a good repoire' with the listening public is the remake of "Family Reunion". This cut, probably the strongest cut offered, stands out with its laid-back percussion action, acoustic guitar work from Johnavon Sauls and moving deliveries on the Rhodes keyboard. It's a nice update from the O'Jays classic and even nicer to hear it being revisited on a gospel project. Terry's youthful and charming vocals are quite appealing for the arrangement. There is a brief interruption from an unnamed and underwhelming rapper towards the end of the song, but the song still possess a great deal of power. "I Wanna Thank You, Lord", penned by Jermaine Freeman and Brian Spidel, has a retro-New Jack Swing vibe and deep keyboard-programmed bass lines that pretty much revisits the funky past uptempo songs Terry performed. The song is sensitively written and doesn't go into unknown territories, but it's a safe introduction to Terry into gospel. Davis Spurill's "God Did It For Me" has a fashionable resemblance of an Eric Benet cut with its soulful interpretation of cool. "If You're Gonna Worry, Don't Pray" is a revisit to the song Denver Wright produced and recorded a while back. The song never really launched into the hearts of the immediate gospel audience but was a minor underground hit. Terry spices things up a bit, along with Wright's careful eye, but it is the simplistic lyric in the chorus that hurts the progression of this song from being a major spotlight. But musically the song is a moving experience and adding Terry's soulful vocals on top of things makes it even more meaningful. It's shaped in the fashion of a Men of Standard/J. Moss selection, so there's no crucial criticism felt here. "Praise Him", the album's first single, opens the project with moderate fanfare due to its churchy keyboard strings and zealous hand-clapping. Terry displays noticeable vocal aerobics and a series of distinctive rolls that are bound to grab attention. The song may have an overbearing repetitious quality since the vamp makes up the bulk of this selection, but Terry shows no signs of losing his youthful vocal perks.

There is a lot of drum programming on the project - which is not really a bad thing. But when the productions sound too much like MIDI developments and have a local, independent, produced-in-the-basement posture, you are bound to suffer much criticism. "Changed", Walter Hawkins' hit from the 1977 "Love Alive" project, is a very strange choice of rendition, but to hear weak drum programming and even weaker background vocals throughout this selection makes things awkward and seriously uncanny. A few irritating selections, mostly suffering from the familiar MIDI style, places this project on the balances. "He's A Friend Of Mine", "Joy", and the ode to quartet gospel, "Nobody Like Jesus" are prime examples of this baffling occurrence. Ivan Powell, formerly a noted keyboardist for John P. Kee, pens the melodic ballad "Look To The Hills", but the MIDI sounds break out once again and again hurts the credibility of most of the songs offered here. It almost feels like half of the songs on "Changed!" are ready for release and the others were just prototypes for demo usage only.

Another downside to this collection falls on Terry. He tries too hard in his vocalism to satisfy his R&B fanbase; throwing out a good bit of sexual energy while sounding too much like his early work. It's a good thing to know that he sounds just as good as he did when he released his former hits, but it's also devastating to know that he hasn't changed much since then. It sounds just the same. No better, no worse. When piecing an exceptional gospel project, a vocalist needs more than just good looks and personality. And it also takes more than just having a good voice. It takes convincing soul deliveries, compatible production and very strong material; obvious qualities this project sadly lacks too much of. It would be best that he finds a new producer or extra production assistance from those that know how studio gospel music should be produced, such as J. Moss, Cedric Thompson, Warryn Campbell, or Darkchild. Terry definitely has the pipes to lay down more romantic R&B ballads and may be more innovative in former mainstream workplaces. He even has the golden voice to put out chunkier gospel projects. But we deeply stress that while this project isn't a bad project overall, it would be best for Terry to move to a newer sound of production, even if it hurts or may be costly.